Make your meal planning easy with this AMAZING vegan, gluten-free one-pot burrito bowl recipe. Filled with seasoned jackfruit, black beans, corn, and rice, it's a hearty and healthy meal the whole family will love—made in under 30 minutes!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
It’s BURRITO time!
You probably already know that I am a HUGE fan of Mexican food. This website is filled with recipes for fajitas, tacos, quesadillas, and margaritas. There is nothing quite like the fresh flavor combinations of Mexican food. Yet, somehow, in all these years, the only burrito recipe I have on this blog is my Southwest Breakfast Burrito.
How is that possible??
Truth be told, this isn’t exactly a burrito recipe either. It’s better! Today, I’m sharing with you my vegan burrito bowls—a delicious, deconstructed burrito that can be served in a bowl for an easy one-pot weeknight meal. Thanks to College Inn® Simple Starter Mexican Style Sauce from Safeway, this meal can be whipped up in under 30 minutes with no fuss.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
I love these jackfruit burrito bowls for so many reasons. This meal is a complete protein that is hearty, delicious. It made in just one pot in under 30 minutes and even my picky children love this recipe.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Oil - Any neutral flavored oil will do.
- Jackfruit - Jackfruit is an incredible whole-food meat substitute. It has a similar texture to that of chicken or pulled pork, and it takes on any flavors you give it—making it the perfect meat replacement for these vegan burrito bowls.
- Onion
- Red Bell Pepper
- Garlic
- Jalapeño
- Spices - Cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper
- Black Beans - 1 (14) oz can or about ¾ cup dried beans
- Corn - canned or frozen
- Diced Tomatoes - 1 (14) oz can or about 1 pound of fresh tomatoes
- Green Chilis
- Jasmine Rice - Any rice will do. If you want to use brown rice, double your cooking time.
- College Inn® Mexican-Style Simple Starter
- Cilantro
- Toppings - I use a variety of toppings such as avocado, fresh salsa, vegan cheese, tomatoes, and vegan sour cream.
Recommended Equipment
Most importantly, you will need a good soup pot. I love my Dutch Oven from Le Creuset for soups. Made from cast iron, they are perfect for slow cooking and simmering soups and stews. Although it’s a bit pricey, you will use it over and over again (for soups, stews, sides, bread, and even desserts!) and it will last you a lifetime.
In addition, you will need a good chef’s knife, cutting board, and basic kitchen utensils. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
College Inn® Simple Starter Mexican Style Sauce
This meal starts with a perfectly seasoned sauce. Enter: College Inn® Simple Starter Mexican Style Sauce. This sauce makes these burrito bowls SO EASY without compromising on taste and Delicious is in the Details. It’s a perfect blend of vegetable broth, spices, and herbs; delicious is in the details.
These sauces are highly versatile. Add your favorite veggies or plant-based proteins to the Mexican-Style Simple Starters, and you’ve got yourself all kinds of meals. I’ve used it in my Beans and Rice, Skillet Enchiladas, and even in my Tortilla Soup recipe. They take all of these meals to a new level of deliciousness and ease.
Find all College Inn® products at your local Safeway in the canned goods and soup aisle, near the broths and sauces. Use the coupon code below to get a discount on your first purchase.
How to Make Vegan Burrito Bowls
Thanks to College Inn® Simple Starter Mexican Style Sauce, this meal comes together super quickly. Just follow these three steps for a quick and easy one-pot meal.
Step One - Prepare the Jackfruit
To begin, we must prepare the jackfruit. Drain and rinse the fruit through a colander. Pat it dry with a kitchen towel.
Once the jackfruit is dry, shred the jackfruit between your fingers to get the stringy pulled pork texture. At the base of the triangle, you’ll find a thick core. To shred it, hold the core between your thumb and forefinger and gently press up while pressing into the fruit with your thumb. The tops will easily shred into what you see below.
Watch this video to see it for yourself.
Step Two - Sauté the Veggies
Add olive oil to a large soup pot and heat over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add jackfruit, red onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until the jackfruit begins to brown and the onions are translucent and fragrant. Stir in the spices.
Step Three - Add the Remaining Ingredients
Add the black beans, corn, tomatoes, green chilies, and rice.
Stir in the Mexican-Style Simple Starter and minced cilantro. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.
Serving and Storing
Serve your burrito bowls with avocado, vegan sour cream, diced tomatoes, jalapeños, guacamole, or any of your favorite burrito toppings.
Store leftovers in a refrigerator for up to 3 days. To serve, gently reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jackfruit?
For those of you who are unfamiliar, jackfruit is a large green tropical fruit that, when green, has very little flavor. The stringy texture, however, is similar to that of chicken or pulled pork, making it one of the most popular whole food vegan meat substitutes. Look for canned jackfruit in your local grocery store or pick some up online. (<<affiliate links)
Do I have to use jackfruit?
Don’t like jackfruit? No problem! You can omit it altogether or replace it with seasoned ground tempeh or plant-based chicken.
Can these be made into traditional burritos?
For sure! Feel free to wrap the filling in your favorite tortillas for a traditional vegan burrito.
Where can I find College Inn® Simple Starter Sauce?
You can find all College Inn® products at your local Safeway in the canned goods and soup aisle. Use this coupon code to get a discount on your first purchase! Also, make sure to download the Safeway mobile app to get notified of more deals and offerings.
More Vegan Bowl Recipes
- Green Goddess Buddha Bowl
- Vegan Satay with Red Curry Sauce Buddha Bowl
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts Buddha Bowl
- Roasted Cauliflower Quinoa Bowl
One-Pot Vegan Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
Burrito Bowls
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 (20oz) can green jackfruit
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 (14oz) can black beans
- 1 (14oz) can corn
- 1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (4oz) can green chilis
- 1 cup Jasmine rice, uncooked
- 1 carton (24 oz) College Inn® Mexican-Style Simple Starter
- ¼ cup cilantro, minced
Toppings (optional)
- avocado
- fresh salsa or pico de gallo
- vegan cheese
- tomatoes, diced
- vegan sour cream
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large soup pot and heat over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add jackfruit, red onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until the jackfruit begins to brown and the onions are translucent and fragrant. Stir in the spices.
- Add the black beans, corn, tomatoes, green chilies, and rice. Stir in the Mexican-Style Simple Starter and minced cilantro. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.
- Divide into 6 bowls and top with topping of choice. I like to add vegan cheese, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, and salsa. You can also add vegan sour cream, sliced jalapeños, and crispy corn tortillas.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Faye Rivkin says
What happens if you're not near a Safeway? My grocery doesn't carry the college in simple starter. Thanks!
Sarah McMinn says
You could take a look at their store locator here. Or just look for another Mexican or light Enchilada broth, it should work!